[Cob] How to get a straight wall with cob?

[Bob & Lorraine]

Hi, everyone,

 

Today we started our first cob wall.  It's brought us to some questions
I hope more experienced cobbers can help me with.

 

What should a good mix look and feel like?

Ours was patchy with some parts of it having a smooth, plasticiny feel,
some lumpy/gritty although wet, and some being a bit dryish and rubbly.
We tried various methods - forking whatever we came to onto the
foundation and patting it into shape, pressing it into cobs with our
hands then incorporating it onto the wall, and doing more mixing in the
mud pile before forking it onto the foundation.

 

How do you ensure that the wall is straight-sided, not rounded down at
the edges, and that it does not gradually become narrower as you work
upwards?

 

How do you manage to walk on it without causing it to bulge at the
bottom? (We didn't try)

 

How high can one go in a layer, and how long should one leave it before
adding the next round/layer?

 

Do you have any suggestions to make the job better, safer, quicker, etc?

 

Any suggestions and ideas would be most welcome.

 

Lorraine (Australia)